A government-ordered inquiry is under way in Thailand after a construction crane crashed onto a moving passenger train, killing at least 22 people and injuring around 80 others, officials said.
The transport ministry confirmed that 195 passengers were aboard the service when the crane fell during work on an elevated rail structure linked to a joint Thai–Chinese high-speed railway. The impact struck multiple carriages, forced the train off the tracks and ignited a brief fire.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the fatalities were concentrated in two of the three carriages hit by the crane. He directed authorities to examine the construction operation and the circumstances that led to the collapse.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in Sikhio district, in Nakhon Ratchasima province, roughly 230 kilometres northeast of Bangkok. The train had departed the capital and was bound for Ubon Ratchathani province, a route frequently used by commuters and long-distance travellers in the region.
Reporting from Thailand, Al Jazeera correspondent Tony Cheng said the casualty figures climbed rapidly as rescue operations progressed. “Initial reports said there were only four fatalities. That very quickly jumped to 12, and we now understand from the Thai police who told Al Jazeera that it’s 22,” Cheng said, adding that authorities expect the toll to increase.
Emergency crews deployed heavy machinery to cut through twisted metal and reach passengers trapped inside the damaged carriages, according to Thai media. Local resident Mitr Intrpanya, who was nearby when the accident happened, described hearing a loud sliding sound followed by explosions. “At around 9am, I heard a loud noise, like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions,” Mitr told the AFP news agency. “When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages. The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half.”
Cheng said the construction site sits above an active rail line that has remained in service while the elevated track is being built. “This route has been the site of a high-speed Chinese rail project, which has been under construction for quite some time now – about a decade,” he said. “It is supposed to be bringing a high-speed rail, which is on a concrete platform above the existing rail line.”
Thailand has faced repeated scrutiny over industrial and construction safety following a series of deadly incidents in recent years, including fatal train collisions and a high-rise collapse in Bangkok earlier this year that killed more than 100 people.
